Monday, June 26, 2017

Australia’s Gun Haters

On July 1, Australia begins National Firearms Amnesty 2017,
the country’s fourth federal
firearms buyback (more accurately termed turn-in) or amnesty program since
1987. According to the Australian government, officials hope to capture some of
the country’s estimated 260,000 unregistered firearms. The Australian
government has also cited the threat of terrorism, and in particular the
December 2014 siege on the Lindt Café in Sydney, as justification for the new
turn-in. The amnesty period runs to September 30.

Unlike the confiscatory scheme
that followed Australia’s 1996 National Firearms Agreement, which banned most
ownership of semi-automatic and pump action rifles and shotguns, the 2017
amnesty is not coupled to any new restrictions on the types of firearms an
individual may own. Further, under the current amnesty, firearm owners will not
receive any compensation for the firearms they relinquish. To participate in
the amnesty, gun owners will have to bring their unregistered firearms to a
drop-off point designated by state and territorial authorities.

In an improvement over the 1997 confiscatory turn-in, gun
owners in many cases will be able to choose the final disposition of their
unregistered firearms. An individual that has an irrational animus towards guns
can choose to have their former firearm destroyed. Those turning in firearms
eligible to enter the lawful stream of commerce may also be able to sell the
firearm to a licensed dealer.

Firearms license holders who turn over a firearm they are
eligible to own will be allowed to register and retain possession of their gun.
Of course, given Australian history, some gun owners might prove justifiably
reluctant to make the government aware of their unregistered arms, lest they be
targeted in some future confiscation effort.

[To learn more about the details of Australia’s National
Firearms Amnesty, including the specific rules for each state and territory,
visit https://firearmsamnesty.ag.gov.au.]

In the U.S., researchers and gun rights advocates have long agreed that turn-ins are ineffective policy.
This fact is not lost on all Australian politicians. Liberal Democrat Senator from New South Wales David
Leyonjelm, recently said of the 2017 amnesty, “It’s purely for
appearance purposes. It won’t do anything to address guns on the street,
they’ll end up with grandma’s rusty old shotgun or rifle. Which was never going
to be used in crime in the first place.”

However, that the current amnesty provides an avenue for
some unwanted and illegally held firearms to re-enter the lawful stream of
commerce is a minor beacon of common sense in Australia’s otherwise misguided
gun policy. The Australian government did not come to this sensible policy on
its own. According to a report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation,
the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia
lobbied the government for this measure.

Of course, this minor concession to reason has been
attacked by Australia’s anti-gun community.

In a radio interview with the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Gun ControlAustralia Vice-President Roland Browne lamented
that some illegally held firearms might find their way into the hands of
licensed gun owners. The gun control lobby representative told the interviewer,
“This amnesty started off as a public safety measure. In fact, in reality, it
is appearing now to be a profit-making venture for firearms dealers.” According
to Browne, the ability to move illegally held firearms into the hands of
law-abiding gun owners undermines “the integrity of the registration system,”
and he would rather “take these guns out of circulation.”

Australia’s experience with gun control continues to
provide important lessons for American gun owners. In the end, the gun control
movement is not about getting guns out of “the wrong hands,” or banning certain
types of firearms. Despite repeated national turn-ins, gun registration,
background checks, gun owner licensing, a ban on semi-automatic and pump-action
rifles and shotguns, and the abolition of gun ownership for the purpose of
self-defense, groups like Gun Control Australia continue to target Australia’s
law-abiding gun owners. Gun Control Australia’s response to the 2017 National
Firearms Amnesty further proves that as long as there remain firearms in the
hands of private citizens, gun control advocates will continue to work towards
their goal of total civilian disarmament.

Note: Julia Gillard
was a prime minister for Australia,
and is a distinguished fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).

Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank), the Center for
American Progress, the International
Rescue Committee, and the Harlem
Children's Zone.

George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a supporter
for the Center for American Progress,
a benefactor for the Harlem Children's
Zone, and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Lawrence H. Summers
was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a distinguished
senior fellow for the Center for
American Progress, is a director at the ONE Campaign, a co-founder for the Group of 20, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant
(think tank).

Timothy F.
Geithner is an overseer, director for the International Rescue Committee, and was a co-founder for the Group of 20.

Michael R. Bloomberg
was an advocate for the ONE Campaign,
a benefactor for the Harlem Children's
Zone, a contributor for the Americans
for Responsible Solutions, is a co-chair for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the founder of Independence USA PAC, and the founder of Everytown for Gun Safety.

Susan A. Buffett
is Warren E. Buffett’s daughter, and
a director at the ONE Campaign.

Lawrence H. Summersis a director at the ONE Campaign, a co-founder for the Group of 20, was a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), a distinguished senior fellow for the Center for American Progress, and a
2008 Bilderberg conference
participant (think tank).

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